World Wresting Entertainment presents Smackdown
Date: 2/17/2012
From: Fresno, CA
Tonight, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan competes against the 2012 Royal Rumble winner, Sheamus! Also, Randy Orton has been ruled out of the pay per view this weekend. There is a battle royal to determine who takes his spot. Find out who is going to the Elimination Chamber to realize their dream of being a world champion!
The program starts off with footage from RAW where Daniel Bryan hit Randy Orton and Big Show with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Orton suffered a concussion and has been pulled out of the Elimination Chamber pay per view.
Backstage, Randy Orton is sitting on a couch with Teddy Long. They are silent for a few moments before Long apologizes to Orton saying that he can’t allow Orton to compete. Long has security here to escort Orton from the arena. Orton has been pulled from tonight and the pay per view this Sunday. Obviously, Orton is not thrilled about that.
Opening Contest: Big Show & The Great Khali vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes & Wade Barrett
Barrett isn’t able to get any offense in against the Khali, so he tags out to Rhodes rather quickly. Rhodes delivers two strikes but is dropped by Khali with a over hand strike. Khali chops Rhodes but Barrett quickly tags back in and kicks Khali in the side of the head after Rhodes got a cheap shot in. Barrett continues to stomp away on Khali and Rhodes returns to choke Khali as well. Khali tosses Rhodes after he leaps off the middle rope and Show gets the tag. Show clotheslines Barrett a few times and connects with a splash before hitting a spear! Rhodes is sent over the top to the floor. Show drives Barrett down to the canvas with the choke slam to win the match.
Your Winners: Big Show & The Great Khali via pin fall
Match Rating: *1/4
After the match, Big Show decides to knock Khali out with a right hand.
Backstage, Mark Henry and Big Show are in Teddy Long’s room. Henry is cut off by Show and lets him know he doesn’t appreciate that. So, Show knocks Henry out with a right hand and wrecks the room because Long won’t give him what he wants.
Second Contest: Ted DiBiase vs. Hunico
How many times have these two wrestled on Smackdown? Hunico opens the match with several right hands but DiBiase turns the tables to deliver several strikes of his own. Hunico hits a spinning head scissors but DiBiase connects with a big boot for a near fall. Hunico drives DiBiase down to the mat with an arm breaker. DiBiase counters a head scissors by slamming Hunico down to the mat gut first. DiBiase blocks a top rope attempt by hitting a dropkick. Camacho drops DiBiase arm first across the top rope and that allows Hunico to roll him up for the win.
Your Winner: Hunico via pin fall
Match Rating: *
A video promoting the Undertaker/HHH feud is aired.
Third Contest: The Uso’s vs. WWE World Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico
Primo and Jey open the match with Primo delivering a knee lift and a head butt, which doesn’t have any impact. Jimmy enters and clotheslines Primo for a two count. Primo is double teamed after a double back elbow strike. Primo crotches Jimmy on the middle rope and hammers away on Jimmy. Epico tags in and hits a slingshot senton splash. Primo returns to dropkick Jimmy and keeps control with a neck vice. Primo misses a leaping attempt in the corner and hits the corner hard. Jey tags in and cleans house with several strikes on Epico. Jey misses a running butt splash but plants Epico with a Samoan Drop for a near fall. Epico is sent to the floor and Jey blocks a Back Stabber attempt by Primo. Jey hits a super kick and Jimmy goes up top but Primo gets his knees up on a big splash attempt. Primo hits the Back Stabber and pins Jimmy.
Your Winners: Primo & Epico via pin fall
Match Rating: *1/2
Michael Cole lets us now that the Big Show has left the arena on his own.
Backstage, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan is walking towards the ring.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan makes his way down to the ring. Bryan talks about what he did on RAW to Orton and Big Show. He said it was time to show what he was really all about. We proceed to see footage from RAW. Bryan knows that the Big Show and Orton have been escorted out of the arena. He says that if either of them were men, or had any guts, they would be in the ring facing him right now. Bryan believes they are afraid of him. “Everyone is afraid of Daniel Bryan!” He thinks that they are to tap out. He knows that nobody thought the would become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He is proud to say that he proved everyone wrong! Bryan is going to prove everyone wrong again at the Elimination Chamber this Sunday. He is going to emerge victorious at the pay per view. Bryan decides to have Lillian Garcia announce him as the winner against Randy Orton due to forfeit. He leaves the ring and Garcia does that. Bryan celebrates like crazy to just rub in the victory. Teddy Long makes his way out and tells Bryan that he hasn’t even wrestled yet. Long wants to see Bryan wrestle. Long has found someone to volunteer and wrestle Bryan. That just so happens to be… Sheamus!
Fourth Contest: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
Sheamus takes the champ down early with a headlock. Bryan is knocked down again with a shoulder block and met with a clothesline by Sheamus. Sheamus continues to control Bryan with a forearm shot. Sheamus begins to work on Bryan’s left arm for a few moments. Bryan kicks Sheamus several times in the legs but misses a shoulder ram from the apron and is met with a knee shot. Sheamus clubs away on Bryan’s chest several times. Bryan decides to grab his championship and has apparently had enough. Sheamus leaves the ring and shoulder tackles Bryan.
Bryan knocks Sheamus off the apron with a baseball slide and leaps off the apron to hit Sheamus with a knee shot to the head. Bryan nails a running dropkick to a seated Sheamus. Bryan goes for the cover but only gets a two count. Sheamus tries to fight back but Bryan slams Sheamus’s foot down to the mat. Bryan delivers another running dropkick in the corner. Sheamus absorbs a few kicks and hammers away on Bryan on his comeback. Sheamus gets up and delivers a few forearm strikes. Sheamus hits a power slam for a two count.
Sheamus attempts a slam but Bryan goes for the LeBelle Lock instead. Sheamus breaks free and clotheslines Bryan. Sheamus goes for the Celtic Cross but Bryan breaks free. Sheamus clubs away on Bryan, who slaps Sheamus. Sheamus stomps away on Bryan and does something that the camera misses. Bryan wants Sheamus to bring it. Sheamus loses it and shoves the referee causing a disqualification.
Your Winner: Daniel Bryan via disqualification
Match Rating: ***
Backstage, Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett enter the office of Teddy Long. Barrett wants to know who will be replacing Randy Orton. Cody Rhodes says that he is going to beat everyone in the Chamber, but needs to know the other guy in the chamber. Long announces that a battle royal will be taking place. Long says that everyone is allowed to be in the battle royal to fill the void.
Fifth Contest: Jinder Mahal vs. Ezekial Jackson
Mahal hammers away on Jackson with a few knee strikes and a couple of forearm shots. Jackson fights back with a shoulder block. Jackson clotheslines Mahal in the corner a couple of times before hitting a splash as well. Jackson drives Mahal down with a side slam and goes for the Torture Rack but Mahal gets out of it and plants Jackson with a DDT! Mahal locks in a camel clutch. Jackson gets out rather quickly and rams Mahal back first into the corner. Mahal hits a Flatliner to regain control and has the camel clutch locked in again. Jackson actually gives up to it.
Your Winner: Jinder Mahal via submission
Match Rating: *
Sixth Contest: Tamina Snuka & Alicia Fox vs. WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix & Natalya
Fox and Phoenix open the match with Fox getting the better of the champion with a few kicks. Natalya tags herself in and gives Phoenix some attitude about it. Natalya is happy tonight for some reason. Fox monkey flips Natalya and spanks her. Natalya drives Fox head first into the canvas for a two count. Phoenix kicks Fox while the referee is distracted. Natalya trips Fox and goes for the Sharpshooter which she locks in. However, it looks like she farted and the referee was disgusted by it. Tamina hits a Samoan Drop after getting the tag and pins Natayla after hitting a top rope big splash.
Your Winner: Tamina Snuka & Alica Fox via pin fall
Match Rating: *
After the match, Tamina lays Phoenix out with a kick and heads to the top rope to hit a big splash on the champ but Phoenix bails to the floor to grab her championship.
Backstage, Teddy Long is on the phone when Johnny Ace enters with David Otunga. Ace asks what Long has been doing. He says that Long can’t have a no talent, no charisma wrestler into the pay per view match. Ace inserts David Otunga into the battle royal tonight. Long wishes Otunga luck in the battle royal.
Main Event: Battle Royal For Elimination Chamber Spot: Everyone Is Allowed To Enter
David Otunga is the only guy out of the thirty or so to get an entrance for the match. This is kind of funny since they guys are all midcarders at best. Hunico eliminates DiBiase during the match but DiBiase eliminates Hunico to get some level of revenge. The final four men are Ezekial Jackson, Santino Marella, Drew McIntyre and David Otunga. Drew is eliminated by Marella after playing to the crowd. Jackson has Marella set up for a power slam but Marella breaks free and Jackson is sent over the top to the floor. Otunga stops Marella with a clothesline and the crowd is heavily behind Marella. Marella fights back with several strikes but misses a diving head butt. Otunga hits a neck breaker and taunts the crowd. Marella counters a hip toss and tosses Otunga over the top to the floor to win the match!
Your Winner: Santino Marella
After the match, Santino Marella celebrates his victory by doing snow angels in the ring. Marella will be going to the Elimination Chamber to possibly win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday!
Final Thoughts:
It’s unfortunate that Randy Orton has suffered yet another injury to cause him to miss out on the pay per view. It also doesn’t help that the WWE has had a lot of their top guys injured in the past six months or so. There really isn’t a suitable replacement for Orton, unless you put Henry in the match, really. While Santino Marella is incredibly over with the crowd, he is simply not a realistic champion or contender for that matter. I’ve kind of lost interest in the match with Marella getting the spot.
As for the show, I thought it was okay. The segments involving Daniel Bryan were the best for sure this week. I’m not sure how many more times we need to see DiBiase/Hunico or the tag match involving Epico & Primo taking on the Uso’s. The depth on Smackdown continues to be a big issue for them. I’m indifferent about the show as it wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad at the same time. It was just really average to me.
Thanks for reading.